“That’s different,” the receptionist replied. “You may go up to his room, but please make the call brief.”
An automatic elevator carried the pair to the third floor. Jerry’s door near the end of the corridor stood slightly ajar. Salt tapped lightly on it, and hearing no answer, pushed it farther open.
“Well, what d’you know!” he exclaimed.
Penny, startled by his tone of voice, peered over his shoulder.
The room was deserted. Jerry’s bed, unmade, stood empty.
CHAPTER
8
IN SEARCH OF JERRY
“Now what could have become of Jerry?” Penny murmured as she and Salt gazed about the deserted room in amazement. “Surely we’ve made no mistake.”
“He was assigned this room all right,” the photographer declared. “But maybe they changed it later.”
“That’s it,” agreed Penny in relief. “For a minute it gave me a shock seeing that empty bed. I thought perhaps he had taken a bad turn and been removed for emergency treatment.”
The pair sought Miss Brent, a floor supervisor.